Terrific Tips Tuesday

I've shared before that some of my favorite tools are Stampin' Up!'s punches. I always keep my punches in an easy to access area so I can grab them quickly. They easily add detail to any project. And with Stampin' Up!'s coordination, many of their punches match their stamp sets. Your cards and projects will look like you spent so much time getting every detail just right without much effort on your part when you incorporate punches.

But punches do even more! And one of those things is our tip for today. Use punches to make flagged ends! Flags and banners are super popular right now. This idea takes the guesswork out of cutting and trimming and hoping you get just the right angles.

The new Hexagon Punch (130919 $15.95) is my new favorite toy. 

Take a strip of card stock and insert it in one side, holding the punch upside-down.

 Voila! Perfect flagged end!

 You can do the same thing with the square punches, as well. Make sure the strip of card stock is inserted at a 45 degree angle and - snip!

 A tip within a tip: Be careful how you hold your punch! They do like to pinch any skin that gets in the way. But flipping over the punch is a great way to see exactly where the image will be cut. This is the best way to punch a stamped image.

 Have fun trying out this simple tip! I'd love to see  your finished projects!

Terrific Tips Tuesday

Hello again! Today's tip is a simple tip, but one you might find helpful and one that will hopefully save you some frustration. You know already that the Heat Tool is used for embossing. But it's a handy tool for other things, too. Most notably, it will help anything you are working on dry quicker. Some inks, like Whisper White Craft ink can be thick and take longer to dry. Often, you can't move on to the next step of your project until the ink is dry. Get out your heat tool! You many have found that inks take longer to dry and therefore smear more when stamped on a smooth card stock like Whisper White and Very Vanilla. Keep that Heat Tool ready! You can also use it to help liquid glue dry faster as well. Don't tuck this handy tool into some dark corner! Keep it close by and it will will become a good friend.

Heat Tool #129053 $29.95

Cupcakes - have your cake and eat it ALL!

Who doesn't love cupcakes? And, more importantly, what kid doesn't love cupcakes - at least the frosting! That's the idea behind my daughter's upcoming birthday party. As I've mentioned before, we are renting while we build, so space around here is pretty tight. When it came time to begin planning her party, I felt a little overwhelmed. Until a friend mentioned a local cupcake shop that had just started doing birthday parties. We are so excited! I don't have to do any work (they set up and clean up and take care of snacks and the kids get to decorate their very own cupcakes!) while Sydney gets a memorable party. And we ALL get to eat cupcakes!

Since we have a built-in theme, I came up with an invitation that gives a big clue to what's coming:

Delicious! 

Don't miss the great coordinating combination of the Create a Cupcake stamp set (clear mounted and wood mounted) and Cupcake Punch. Stampin' Up! and their products makes throwing together cards like this so simple!

Terrific Tips Tuesday

It's that time again! And I am so excited about what I get to share with you today. Really, this is a Part Two from THIS Tuesday Tip. In that tip, I shared about Stampin' Up!'s new cases for their wood mounted stamps. I was so excited because now you can make this:

Look like this:

And that's just what I've been doing this last week. It's so easy! All wood mount stamp sets from now on will come in this new case. And, if you want to retro fit your old stamps, Stampin' Up! has made that easy, also! You can buy sets of empty cases (Full Wood-Mount Stamp Case 127551 $6.95/4 cases or Half Wood Mount Stamp Case 127552 $4.95/4 cases), create a label and move your sets over.

First, download these Adobe files and save them:

Wood-Mount Full Size Insert

Wood Mount Half Size Insert

Once you have them saved to your computer, you can make as many inserts as you need. The templates are set up so you can easily enter the stamp set's name and it will appear on the top bar on the front of the case and on the spine. You can either print it as is and stamp the images on the paper or copy the image from the internet (on Stampin' Up!'s website if it is a current set or search the image if it's retired) and paste it into the insert. You will have to trim down the paper to fit inside the case (either 6.25" x 7" or 6.25 x 3.25"), but you'll find that it will then fit perfectly. So simple!

Terrific Tips Tuesday

Now that the new Holiday Catalog has been released there are some great new things to talk about! With the new products and products suites in this catalog, Stampin' Up! found a way for you to learn even more about these items. There is now an icon you can find next to certain products. This icon works with the FREE Layar App available in both Apple's App Store and Google Play. Scanning the icon will take you to a video filled with product information and inspiration. You can find the example of this icon on page 5 of the Holiday Catalog.

Be sure to try out the new augmented reality feature--available today--to see videos that show our products in action. It's easy enough for newbies, fun enough for tech-savvy users, and free!

1. Install the free Layar app to your smartphone or tablet.

1. Using the Layar app, scan any catalog page that has the Stampin' Up! Interactive icon on it.

While you're using this feature, be sure to share your favorite products and videos on social media so your friends can see what there is to love about Stampin' Up! products.

Different mobile devices work differently with different apps. Some are faster than others, some take more steps to load videos, etc. With the Layar app, we have noticed these differences in user experience too.

You can also see all of the catalog videos HERE.

You can watch a video detailing how to use the app HERE. 

Best of 25 Years - August

I'm loving these new sets coming out every month! It's been great to see old favorites along with some fun new stamps, grouped by theme each month. Since we are always thinking ahead when we are making cards, Stampin' Up! was right on time this month with a Halloween Theme set. Check it out!

Exciting new items in the Holiday Catalog!

I was so excited to get my hands on the Holiday Catalog! And now you can too! There are some great new products in the catalog that I can't wait to give a try, and I'm sure you'll be wanting to as well.

One (well, two, really) NEW items not in the catalog are the Thinlits Card Dies. Here's a little preview of the new Stampin' Up! Thinlits Card Dies. They make swing cards. We made them once (the long way) at one of our club meetings. Now there is a die that cuts the whole card out in one swipe through the Big Shot. This die will save you time and make your card really stand out. Give it a try today!

Thinlits

Circle Card Thinlits Die $32.95                    Label Card Thinlits Die $32.95

And I have a craft room!

Well, almost. Those two windows look into what will soon be my craft room - the one request I had when my husband said he wanted to sell our old home and build again. I had a very nice craft room before that I had a hard time saying, "good-bye" to. I'm looking forward to this, "hello"! I'll keep you updated!